Musings about art, life, spirit and love by an adult adoptee living in reunion.

Sunday, March 30, 2008

More Race Baiting, Clintonian Style

JUST SAYING.

Her aides have been describing as their political “firewall” the states they believe Obama will lose. That’s campaign-speak for “race wall”—one built with bricks like Pennsylvania and Indiana. These aren’t the near purely white states where racial politics is often muted (and Obama won). They are the slightly diverse states where racial politics simmers and where the black vote is too small to offset a motivated racist vote. This race wall is now being fortified.

ABC News reports that Clinton’s campaign is “pushing the Wright story” ahead of the Pennsylvania and Indiana primaries. The crass tactic is designed to motivate the racist vote by reminding whites of Obama’s connection to the African-American community. Put another way, Clinton’s message has become simply: Obama is black.

Lest anyone doubt the veracity of this claim, a person who introduced Bill Clinton at a campaign stop in Indiana last week mentioned Reverend Wright in his introduction.

2 comments:

Anonymous
said...

Hi Craig,

We have enjoyed reading your blog.It was nice to be reacquainted with Andrew Sullivan. We especially enjoyed his paper written on one of old stomping grounds, Provincetown. Ella Fitzgerald was a serendipity. I used to use her music with the little ones, at the UNH center for children. She is an inspiration for any age. In light of recent posts, I have to offer my two cents worth.

Historically speaking, this Demancratic race for nomination opened with great promise to make history either way. Either we would elect the first African American man or the first women as our nominee for president.

Hillary Clinton had her chance with women. Following the NH debates,it was clear,the media, pundits and even bloggers shaded their comments with sexist remarks. Her sincerity was questioned when she became emotional and opened up in NH. That caused a lot of women to pay attention. Women are still second class citizens. Unfortunately the status quo will persist. Hillary went from the underdog to a bitter attack dog.That is an unattractive feature. Obama was already believable. I had trouble with his voting record and yet my intuition nudged me toward him. I felt a little frustrated though, as if he were holding back something I needed from him. It all made sense when he gave his response to statements his former pastor, Rev Wright had made and were on a loop 24/7 with the media.Obama spoke and all doubt melted away. He nailed it. By addressing the discrimination against the poor, the black, the other minorities and also addressing the ongoing frustration of the black community because of the long term affect on a people who have been brutalized, oppressed and discriminated against and still are. The divide is deep, the damage is still being perpetuated by way of discrimination in education,medical care,housing, jobs and the resultant poverty which exacerbates crime, even petty, that grows the Prison Industrial Complex. The disproportional number of black and brown males in prison should have everyone outraged. Young people who may have been guilty of being at the beach after hours or have a beer underage end up in jail. If you think that is not possible in America, I can bear witness to the statement's validity. Obama did not dismiss his former pastor as a crazy man. We respect that. Not just because it is the Christian thing to do, but it is the moral and ethical thing to do. It was really important that Obama gave voice to the debate of racial injustice. Rev Wright spent his life ministering to his congregation, speaking the truth from the pulpit and in the community, only to find it fall on deaf ears.Obama put it in perspective. He denounced where he felt Rev Wright went to far, but was careful to point out that we must find commonality with one another and do not dismiss a person because of something they may have said.Many of us already decided to back Obama based on hope. Perhaps it was coincidence, or Spirit speaking with the hint of a whisper Perhaps that is what we had to do before his strength of character would be revealed to us. Perhaps that faith, that we all pledged, gave Obama the strength to stand tall and speak the kind of truth usually reserved for the pulpit, not the stump. Who knows how life really works. I think he has become a miracle for us as a nation and perhaps the world,but his strength must be our strength. He can help defuse the fear and hate so many of the Islamic community have experienced since the Bush/Cheney (or should I say Cheney/Bush?) administration. The time for truth and reconciliation is always and in all ways now.Hillary could have spoken out passionately against all that Obama did, but she did not. If a candidate cannot speak the truth because of fear of losing, what kind of a president would she/he be?So Hillary, from one woman to another, I wish this could have been the right time for a female to lead this country. It is not.

I predict our party will nominate Obama. The Democratic party will come back together and have a united front all the way to the White House.